1954 BSA Gold Star

1954 BSA GOLD STAR BACKGROUND
Throughout the 1930s, BSA created and developed a strong line of single-cylinder motorcycles. In 1937, they introduced the 500cc Empire Star. When Wal Handley lapped the Brooklands racetrack at over 100 mph average speed, he was awarded a Gold Star. The name stuck and was applied to the new high-performance variant, the 1938 BSA Gold Star in both 350cc and 500cc form. The engines were hand-built to the highest standard. The BSA factory offered several performance modifications as options. Every bike was run on a dyno, and came from the factory with a printout of its dynamometer results showing the actual horsepower that the engine produced. The BSA Gold Star was one of the fastest production motorcycles on the planet at the time. 1939 was the last year of civilian production prior to World War II. These early pre-war bikes had rigid frames and girder front forks.

1954 BSA GOLD STAR DESIGN
The 1954 BSA Gold Star came in two sizes, 350cc (the CB32) and 500cc (the CB34), which was given more cooling fins on the cylinder and head than before, and they took on a squarer shape than before. The hand-assembled engines got several meaningful upgrades for the 1954 model year. A stronger crankshaft with oval flywheels was fitted, along with a shorter connecting rod. The valve gear was reworked and the carburetor was changed over to the Amal GP.